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Hong Kong star out to bounce back in Australia’s top weight-for-age race.

The Cox Plate is considered Australia's 'best race' and, not surprisingly, is often been won by the best horse.

Many editions of the 2040-metre Group 1 have gone to the favourite, as recently as last year when Anamoe scored at $2.40.

He made it six wins in the past eight years for the punters' pick, while favourite backers had a charmed run from 1979 to 1990 when favourites won 10 of the 12 editions.

Romantic Warrior will be looking to join them at The Valley this Saturday with the Hong Kong star out to bounce back from his last-start fourth placing in the Turnbull Stakes on October 7.

This will be the first year since 1975, when Wave King started favourite off an eighth placing in the Caulfield Cup, that an outright Cox Plate favourite was not placed at its previous start.

The closest any have come since are Emancipation (1983) and Verry Elleegant (2021), who ran fourth at their final Cox Plate lead-up but ran equal favourite at The Valley.

Punters' love of a last-start placegetter in the Cox Plate is understandable with each winner since 2010 having filled a trifecta slot at their previous outing including eight last-start winners; Winx (four times), So You Think (2010), Lys Gracieux (2019), State Of Rest (2021) and Anamoe (2022).

Alligator Blood and Fangirl are the only last-start winners in this year's field of 12.

Fangirl won the inaugural edition of the $5 million of the King Charles III Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on October 14, while Alligator Blood won the 2000m The Might And Power on the same day.

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained on-pacer won the Underwood Stakes the start prior and is looking to join Ocean Park, So You Think, Northerly, Almaarad, Bonecrusher and Ajax as the only horses to complete the Underwood Stakes, The Might And Power and Cox Plate treble.

Alligator Blood is $5.50 second favourite for Saturday's race, ahead of Mr Brightside ($6.50), Gold Trip ($8) and Fangirl ($8), with Militarize ($8.50) the other runner at a single-figure quote.

Militarize is one of two three-year-olds in the race, along with King Colorado ($26), with that duo out to become the first of their age to win the Cox Plate since Shamus Award 10 years ago.

He is one of four three-year-olds to win since 1995, a feat also achieved by Octagonal (1995), Savabeel (2004) and So You Think (2009), while four others have finished runner-up and another four third.

Of those 12 three-year-olds who have placed since 1995, only So You Think and Viscount, who finished third in the 2001 Cox Plate, failed to run top-three at their final lead-up run.

Militarize and King Colorado are both coming out of the Caulfield Guineas, in which they finished fifth and fourth respectively.